On 19 February 1945, the USMC began the assault on the island of Iwo Jima. This small, volcanic island would at first glance appear to be insignificant, but it had on it an airfield, and US commanders knew that the airfield would be necessary as a safe haven for any aircraft participating in the aerial assault of the Japanese islands. Iwo also was considered sovereign Japanese territory, so by invading Iwo Jima, the US was actually invading Japan.
The Japanese defenders on Iwo had crafted a great defense system. Throughout the island, there was a series of bunkers, trenches, foxholes, and tunnels. Marines found that as they defeated the enemy in a certain area and moved on, they would often again be attacked from the rear by other Japanese soldiers who moved in from the tunnels. The 21,000+ Japanese defenders were well prepared and willing to fight to the death to secure the island from invasion.
Mt. Suribachi was the most prominent feature on the island. Standing at 546ft above sea level, occupiers of Suribachi had a commanding view of the entire island, as well as the area around it. Japanese used it as an observation point from which to call in artillery strikes on invading Marines, so it became the initial focal point of the attack.
On February 23, a platoon of Marines made it to the top of Suribachi. They had brought with them an American flag. They used pipe and rocks, and a few of them raised the flag atop Suribachi. This brought a great amount of cheering from the Marines and other US forces on the island, and ultimately every naval ship in the invasion force joined in by blowing their horns, while the crews cheered and waved.
The Japanese near and in the tunnels on Suribachi were alerted, and the Marine patrol soon came under fire. They neutralized the fire and pushed the Japanese back in short order, and the celebrations continued.
The Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal saw the flag, and decided that he wanted it as a souvenir. Upon hearing this, the commander of the 2nd Marine Battalion, Holland “Howlin‘ Mad” Smith said, “To hell with that!”
Forrestal went ashore with Smith and said, “Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years!”
The first flag had been raised by a patrol of 40 men under 1st Sgt. Harold Schrier. The patrol left at 8am, and the first flag was raised at around 10:15. Schrier would later receive the Navy Cross for his actions on Iwo Jima.
Marine Sergeant Mike Strank was given orders by “Howlin’ Mad” Smith to find a replacement flag, take a few men up the hill, replace the first flag, and bring it back to him. At 54 inches by 28 inches, the first flag was difficult to see from afar.
Strank sent PFC Rene Gagnon on a mission to find a new flag, and Gagnon delivered. He found a flag that was 96 inches by 56 inches on one of the ships moored at the beach and was given permission to take it.
Strank, Gagnon, and three other Marines went up Suribachi. They were running a phone line to the top of the hill. They also were going to replace the first flag.
When they reached the top, Strank told the Marines there to find a pole and give him a hand. They found a long section of pipe, tied the flag to it, and took the first flag down.
A group of five other Marines assisted Strank in raising the second flag. Photographer Joe Rosenthal was with the Marines, and managed to take one of the most iconic photos in US history. He captured on film the raising of the second flag, but at the time, he had no idea how famous his photo would become.
When asked about later it, Rosenthal remarked, “ Out of the corner of my eye, I had seen the men start the flag up. I swung my camera and shot the scene. That is how the picture was taken, and when you take a picture like that, you don't come away saying you got a great shot. You don't know.”
The 6 Marines in the flag raising photo were later identified as:
USMC Sergeant Mike Strank
Hank Hansen
Franklin Sousley
Ira Hayes
Rene Gagnon
USN Corpsman John “Doc” Bradley
No one knew at the time the legacy that this photo would create, and ultimately the controversy that would be generated as a result.
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